By Thursday, my Pug, Patton, will have been with us for a fortnight. He’s two and a half months old, a tiny little scrap full of love and affection, and he’s very bright, but... he’s doing something rather strange that I just can’t explain. He’s picked up 'NO' really easily, so I can stop him if he's being naughty, but I’m having a bit of a struggle with house training. To explain: he’s perfectly understood that he needs to go outside, because as soon as I take him out, it’s the first thing he does. He runs off to a quiet spot to have a wee (he never goes right at our feet, always a bit further away). It’s the same with poo; he runs under a tree and that’s that, no bother at all. So, as soon as I take him out, he wees and poos without a hitch. But the problem starts when I bring him back inside: even if he’s literally emptied himself outside, within 10 minutes—and sometimes even within 30 seconds—he has an accident on the tiled floor... I’ve just come in with him from a walk, he did several wees, I stopped in the conservatory to take my shoes off and shake out my coat which had bits of twigs on it, basically I was there for 3 or 4 minutes and he waited patiently. Then I opened the door into the house, he dashed in, did a quick lap of the kitchen, and then came back and relieved himself on the lounge floor... I’m totally baffled 😳. I should mention that he can hold it reasonably well; for instance, yesterday I took him to a garden centre to buy some toys. From the moment we left the house until we got back, it was easily 2 and a half hours, and he only weed once we were home, in the garden. At night, he sleeps in a playpen, and generally, he has one or maybe two wees, and almost never a poo. The playpen is in the living room, which is where he usually has his accidents. I’m trying to give you as much info as possible in the hope that someone might have an explanation, because he isn't doing this for no reason. This isn't my first dog; in the past, I’ve had a Collie, two Labs, a Newfoundland, a St Bernard, and a Westie (who’s 14 now), and none of them ever did anything this bizarre! I’m really hoping someone has a lead for me because, aside from this one issue, everything is going brilliantly and there must be a reason for it! Thanks in advance, everyone!
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Hi Amie des Boxers, I’m going to give it another month actually, as I don’t think the other theories are the right ones. It’s not down to smells; if I look back, the only room he’s never had an accident in is the bathroom (and the loo, but the door is always shut so he can’t get in). He’s had a go everywhere else in the house, even in the playpen. In fact, he completely shredded it last night 😬 (it was a fabric and mesh one); my daughter found him snoozing on the sofa 🙄, but he’d made sure to have a wee in the pen first!
I agree that every dog gets house-trained at a different age, and I must admit I don’t really remember the others, apart from my very first one. I was living in a tiny flat at the time and we were waiting so impatiently for him to be trained that I remember he was between 4 and 5 months old. Then there's my Westie, who’s 14 now and has always peed everywhere to mark his territory! He was 6 months old then, and even today, if he comes into the house, he’ll spray the cat’s scratching post, the table legs, the sofa etc... anyway, don’t worry, I’m not putting any pressure on myself, I’ve cleaned up much worse in my time (St Bernards and Newfoundlands 🙄 among others!)
I think I remember reading that he was also going in his pen, wasn't he? Sorry if I've got that wrong! 😅
But if I'm right, moving the pen won't help; it'll only delay him getting his bearings... Not that I'm saying it'll cause him trauma or anything, let's not exaggerate! 😅
Regarding puppies that get house-trained really quickly, I think it really depends. Either the owners are being a bit too overzealous or putting too much pressure on them, lol, or they're just quicker to catch on... They're all different, after all.
But yeah, even for a small dog, scent-marking is quite early... it might be worth checking if there are certain smells in the house triggering him, or if it's just become a habit. I'd give it another month though, while continuing with the house-training you're already doing.
Hi everyone. I’ve only ever had two puppies; the other two I adopted as adults. I must admit, I don’t have much experience with small dogs. But my pups were house-trained very quickly (before 3 months). Any accidents were just "near misses"—they’d ask to go out, but if we didn't react fast enough, it would happen right by the door.
If you think it’s a house-training issue, you could try moving the puppy pen to different corners of the room (easier said than done, I’m sure!) so he understands that the whole area is his living space. I’ve never actually used a pen myself; my two never really caused any trouble.
Mind you, I’ve only ever had boys, which is probably why I’m so obsessed with scent marking! 🤣
Nasro75, thanks for the advice, but if I’m going to pay for dog training, I’d rather pay for a trainer who will actually see him in person, and only if this behaviour persists. Besides, as already mentioned, marking at 3 months old is a bit young...
Thanks everyone for your advice and opinions! I don’t think it’s territorial marking; my Westie, who lived to 14, was a "marker" and that started at about 6 months old once he’d figured out how to lift his leg. He used to spray all the furniture in the house, just like dogs do out on the street, but with Patton, it’s completely different. If he were only doing it in the room with the cat’s litter tray, or by the parrot’s cage, then yes, it could be a dominance thing, but it’s literally everywhere. Just this morning, half an hour after coming back from his morning walk—he’d been fine all night and had emptied himself outside—he left a massive puddle right in the middle of the living room. I agree with @Ulthia; I prefer to let him know I’m not happy when I catch him in the act and send him straight outside until he goes again so I can praise him. Because honestly, he’s so stubborn 🙄! I think that’s the best way to get the message across. I don't mind the occasional accident in the house, but obviously I don’t want it to carry on because, having lived through it with my Westie, it’s just unbearable day-to-day. (He ended up sleeping in a corner of the garage and spent his days outside with a kennel, because even at 14, and even though he was technically house-trained, he’d pee the moment he caught a scent in the house that wasn't his own. We could never take him away for the weekend because of it. As for other dogs, I’ve only ever had females, apart from my very first one, a Collie, who I recall was fully house-trained by 4 or 5 months and never marked territory indoors).
There are lots of possibilities: emotions, habit, a lack of understanding, feeling unsettled, health issues etc...
Why focus so much on marking? I’m just curious.
The absence of pooing isn't enough to justify that. Doing their business is more down to digestion.
Ours never went inside unless she was poorly. We got her at 2 months old and she was house-trained by 5.
If she was marking, she would have carried on (knowing her temperament 😅) because we didn't do anything besides standard house training, and we never told her off, even when we caught her in the act.
I’ll say it again as we’re on the subject of house-training, but I really don’t understand why some owners get so stressed (I’m not saying that’s the case with the OP here). It’s as if there’s a medal to be won if the puppy is house-trained in a fortnight or a month! As if there’s some kind of shame or disappointment, or even worse, anger, if the puppy has an accident.
Stress-free training is always far more beneficial.
If I’ve understood correctly, he doesn’t ask to go out even though he’s able to hold it at other times. He clearly understands the difference between inside and outside since he poos outdoors, but then he wees as soon as he gets back in... it sounds a lot like marking to me...
I used to have a poodle who just didn't get what I wanted when it came to her doing her business;
she just knew that I had a problem with her weeing, lol
I remember one day I’d rushed to the loo because I was bursting, when suddenly I see the puppy walk in, stand right in front of me and start having a wee while looking at me like a star pupil who’d finally understood what the teacher wanted. She was clearly expecting some praise (not for me to burst out laughing).
The situation sorted itself out as she grew up, but I feel a bit guilty now about the pressure I put her under, poor thing...
